It’s like the worst horror story you can imagine: the sort of modelling nightmare your parents envision when you’re scouted. It was announced that a British model was forcefully injected with ketamine, handcuffed, transported in […]

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My Talented Model Mates II: Trainer Jake

Hello! Models are taking over the world! Last night I met my friend Jake, who I go back years with. Jake modelled for a short while at Select, and did pretty well, shooting for Rankin and the like.

But, like many people find, it wasn’t for him, and it got out of it (not an easy thing to do – turning down shoots is hard once you start full-time work!)

Jake’s always been into health, which is why he got a Personal Training qualification. However it was only a couple of years ago that he discovered the joy of running. “I was going through a hard time in my life, and I started running to give me an hour or so away from my thoughts. I discovered how therapeutic it was, and it made me feel great. Now I want everyone to love it like I do.”

Jake met up with Theo and I in Regents Park yesterday because we’ve signed up for a half marathon. This is somewhat ridiculous: Theo has never gone for a run before. Never. And I can muster a wheezy 20 minute jog but I HAAAAAAAAAAAAATE it! So Theo turned up in his WORK SHOES and HEAVY BACKBACK and I turned up feeling nervous, as I didn’t want to be the annoying, gasping, moaning one (but strongly suspected I would be).

Luckily, Jake is the most amazing trainer ever! He does nothing but encourage, and rather than aggressively push you like a Drill Sergeant (which I hate) he’ll check up if you’re OK and make sure you slow down to cross roads safely (which I totally milked, praying for cars to appear so I could stand still for 20 seconds more). It’s not that he gave us an easy time, just that his manner of encouragement and caring means you actually want to push through any discomfort.

I did stop once but, just like Jake said I would, I suddenly felt amazing and like I could run much further than I ever thought possible about 20 minutes into it. And I felt really confident knowing that he tweaked my running technique (I don’t want to finish this race with the knees of an 80 year old). If you’re looking for a personal trainer, a running coach or someone to sort out your technique to get you started, I really truly recommend Jake.

Theo and I running off into the sunset together…and back around…and back around…and back around…

Oh and here we are in an assisted child’s pose stretch at the end, enjoying a cool summer’s evening – yoga is more my thing, so I turned tables on the trainer and got Jake and Theo doing a few stretches to cool down!

We hobbled away (that’s not strictly true – we were on such a high that we had to go get a pint. The hobbling came after the cider…) saying,

“Isn’t Jake nice?”
“He’s just so nice!”
“Such a nice guy!”

Ad nauseum! Check him out @JakeSmith39 to get in contact. Jake’s running a marathon in Berlin this year in aid of Alzheimer’s Society, as they were the charity who helped his Gran when she suffered the awful disease. He was telling us that they left him in awe: the way that they helped his family was beyond incredible during a horribly tough time. You can head to www.justgiving.com/jake-smith39 to make a donation – no matter how small (or big!) it’ll be hugely appreciated.

3 Comments

Loved this post! He was a good trainer not to scare you away on your first run. Some trainers make the first experience so difficult and stressful, the thought of doing it again is a big no no! Good luck with your half marathon and if you ever need a running partner, call me. I love running!

Afternoon (actually its bang on midday)
Just a little update on our friend Jake. I have enticed him with the delights of the modelling industry once more, so you will find him gracing the books of Models1 once again, under the watchful eye of moi!
Happy days